Field Trip to the NYSM: Evidence of Slavery and Freedom Buried Beneath the Floor

In 1998, archaeologists from Hartgen Archeological Consultants, Inc. uncovered three barrels from beneath the burned floorboards in the basement of the Jellis Winne and John Bogart houses in downtown Albany. The two houses burned in a devastating fire that consumed a large portion of downtown Albany in 1797. There is compelling evidence that the artifacts recovered from the barrels were placed there by enslaved African Americans living in the households. Join us for a discussion of these artifacts that provide a rare glimpse into the brutality of enslavement, and concurrent pursuit of freedom by the enslaved.